Cardinal Gerhard Müller issued a stark warning that Europe faces self-inflicted collapse if it continues to sever itself from its Christian foundations, delivering the message at a conference in the Italian parliament on June 17, 2026.

Speaking at the event entitled “Eurogender Diktat: Christian roots, religious and educational freedom at risk in the EU”, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith argued that Christianity is the very fabric that shaped Europe’s core values, beyond mere historical influence. He stressed that ideals such as human dignity, conscience, freedom and equality stem directly from the Christian understanding of the human person.

“On this foundation stands today the EU,” Cardinal Müller said, cautioning that without the Christian Gospel, Europe would “suicidally give itself over to its downfall”. He pointed to the continent’s current crises – including the dissolution of marriage and the family, confusion over personal identity and the erosion of religious liberty – as direct results of turning away from those roots.

With the background of techno-political influence and changes anticipated for the 21st century in the wake of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the cardinal was forthright: “We must not become dogs of the masters of artificial intelligence.”

Cardinal Müller furthermore criticised EU policies and cultural trends that promote gender ideology, which he described as treating gender as a fluid social construct rather than a biological reality rooted in God’s creation. Instead of overt persecution, he noted, opponents of this ideology face “bureaucracy, regulation and cultural pressure” that marginalise Christianity and exclude religion from public life. Europe, he said, is increasingly becoming “an experimental field for atheistic woke ideology”.

Cardinal Müller also highlighted the influence of globalist organisations such as the World Economic Forum and the Club of Rome in advancing these shifts. Drawing on Pope Benedict XVI’s Regensburg Lecture, he called for a broader understanding of reason – one that includes moral truth and human dignity beyond mere scientific verification.

The host, Massimo Milani, an Italian deputy from the ruling Fratelli d’Italia party of Giorgia Meloni, underscored the irony that many of the liberties modern Europe celebrates originated in Christian principles. “If today we in Europe and in the West in general can talk about human rights, of personal liberties, we must remember that if this is possible it is because we live in a society, in a free culture that owes this freedom precisely to the religious principles that have informed our culture for centuries,” he stated.

The conference, organised by the Catholic association I RadicaTi, brought together voices concerned about threats to religious and educational freedom posed by EU directives. Cardinal Müller concluded by urging Europeans to reclaim their Christian heritage, warning that their future depends on it.

Independent outlets such as InfoVaticana provided detailed reporting from the event itself, confirming Cardinal Müller’s strong emphasis on Christianity as indispensable to Europe’s identity and survival.

The intervention comes amid ongoing tensions in Europe over migration, secularisation, family policies and the role of faith in public life, reinforcing Cardinal Müller’s longstanding critique of ideological trends that he believes undermine the continent’s civilisational foundations.

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